Okay, so as promised I'll give you a quick review of the past two years, at least in regards to running. In short, I haven't done much running. I won a local 5K at Luke AFB a few months ago, clocking 18:01, again with minimal training. I haven't run more than 20 miles a week at any point in the last two years. My priorities have been elsewhere. The only reason I ran the half is because my friend Tyner convinced me to do it. Several of our co-workers had also signed up, but all of them dropped out, leaving just the two of us to take on the challenge. When I signed up, I set my goal at 1:20. I figured I could get in a four month block of moderately intense training. Unfortunately, I hurt my soleus and couldn't run for about six weeks, so that plan was shot. Still, this half was the most fun I've had with running since high school. There was a festive atmosphere in the air, reminiscent of big high school meets. All of these people, of various backgrounds and ages, had come to Phoenix to engage in the purest of all athletic endeavors. In the words of Josh Cox, today's marathon winner: "We all go through the same thing out there. We all reach that point in the race when we question our courage." And that's what makes running such an awesome sport. It's instantly accessible to layman, and even the novice will face and overcome the same barriers of fear and self-doubt that plague even the most capable elites. Running is a journey of self-mastery that unites everyone who has laced up a shoe. Big events like this half-marathon further solidify that idea, because you see so many different people, and even the 45 year-old mother of three will attack the same course as Kara Goucher and Josh Cox. The social aspect of running is something that I've missed. Sharing challenges with other runners is surely one of the great parts of our sport. There's this image of the runner as a solitary figure, but that's true only to a point. Running the half, I could feed off the energy of those around me. It's unbelievable the kind of boost you can get from that. Secure with the pack, flying along just felt effortless (until mile 11, that is). And afterwards, when it's all over, you can't help but share your story with those who have just gutted through everything with you.
PF Chang's has reawakened my love of running. It's been a passion of mine, on and off, since 2002. I have almost ten years of running experience, although that's not entirely true since I have taken long breaks. Still, it's cool to say that I have a decade of experience in something. After I passed mile 1, and said to myself, "Come on, Dan; you may be out of shape, but you've got almost ten years of experience; you can do this!" I had so much fun with this half marathon that I will certainly do another one. With proper training, I'll smash my PR. 6:00 or even 5:50 pace is definitely within reach, and I think I could reach that with only 40 miles per week. That would put me in the 1:18 range, good enough for top 50 at an event like PF Chang's.
The fitness expo on Saturday was a lot of fun. It was like the Comic-Con for runners. I felt like a complete geek browsing through all the booths, asking folks about the latest gadgets and gizmos. A Brooks rep analyzed my running gait; apparently my arch collapses and my foot rolls in, so I need "stability" shoes. I ended up spending quite a bit of money on Gucci gear. I bought a Halo anti-perspiration head band, some sunglasses, and a storage belt (which I used to carry my credit card and cell phone, in case of disaster). All the major shoe companies had reps, with Brooks taking the lead with a kind of "circus" of "curiosities." While some of this was indeed shameless gimmickry, I must admit that I did enjoy all of it. I've never been to an event like this before. The highlight, of course, was the impressive lineup of guest speakers, including Kara Goucher. But I'll reserve that topic for my next post.
I'm ready to get back into running, with the tentative goal of returning to my hometown of Seattle for the half marathon in late June. The key is not getting injured. To that end, I'm going to boost my running IQ through aggressive research. If I can get to 1:18 in the half, who knows how far I can advance? Perhaps even 5:40 pace might be possible. While I would love to get back into the mile, track races just aren't that accessible. Plus, track is a pretty lonely sport. I think road races are the best bet right now.
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